*note: I worked on this in the Fall of 2013 when I left on JET the 2nd time. It might be dated, so use it as a rough guide, not a definitive source. Remember ESID!
**Also I never got around to filling it all out. I’ll get to it one day… I hope! Hope what I have here so far is somehow useful to you.
I have gleaned this info and re-posted it from various locations. Please send me an email if there is a problem with what I have posted, or if any of the material should not be posted online and I will take it down, thanks!
Beginning to Consider the JET Program
JET Program Official Website – Go here and Join the forums. You can troll around and get a lot of information. Some good/Some bad, just use your common sense as a filter.
Preparing Your Application
While Waiting To Hear if You Have an Interview
Preparing for the Interview
Waiting to Hear About the Interview
After Initial Acceptance into the Program as a Short-List Candidate
What it means to be a Short-List Candidate (quoted from Miami JET Coordinator):
“Being on the short list means that you have passed the qualifying steps for JET and will very probably be a JET Program participant this fall. The reason why still refer to you as a short listed candidate (or “shortlister”) is because it really comes down to whether or not a Contracting Organization can be found for you.
The Contracting Organization is a prefecture or a municipality that has said that they will accept you as a CIR or ALT and will sign a contract with you. They are the ones who determine your responsibilities and duties (some things they cannot change, such as salary or transportation costs, but some things they do have control over, such as number of vacation days and whether or not they will provide housing assistance).
Contracting Organizations (also known as COs) are assigned to short listed candidates and there is no option to change Contracting Organizations prior to departure. These assignments are made both in connection with what specifications a CO may have for an incoming JET as well as your own preferences and background. It is quite possible that you may be paired with a Contracting Organization in a location far different from what you requested in your application; this is likely because there either was no opening for you in that location or your application and background matched what a CO was looking for.
Since a CO has to agree to accept a JET candidate, there is still a slight chance that a short listed candidate might not end up becoming a JET. This is relatively uncommon, but it can and does happen. For example, there may not be an available Contracting Organization that can accommodate a JET with a certain type of handicap or that may be within proximity to a specialist that the JET needs to see. Or a JET may be bringing over a large family and it could be hard to find lodging for a family that size. Occasionally an offer to be a short listed candidate can also be rescinded if a JET acts in a manner that is not befitting a JET Program participant or if it is discovered that the JET lied on the application.
Again, these are relatively uncommon, but acceptance is not truly confirmed until placement announcements go out (usually in late May). Nonetheless, since placements can be found in nearly all situations, we will move forward under the assumption that you will indeed be boarding the plane to go to Japan this summer!” –Miami JET Coordinator
Filling Out Reply Forms (quoted from Miami JET Coordinator):
“Congratulations on being accepted to the short list for the JET Program! As you undoubtedly know, there are relatively few spots to accommodate a lot of very qualified and talented applicants. You represented some of the best and most qualified for this year, and we hope that you will accept your positions and demonstrate your full potential as CIRs and ALTs!
In order to register your decision, please fill out and submit the following forms:
1. Reply Form: If you do NOT intend to accept your offered position on the short list, please fill out the top box with your name and your decision. The rest of the page can be left blank. Please send in to the JET Desk at the Consulate. If you DO intend to accept your offered position, please fill out the entire form, sign, and include 2 passport pictures. These will be sent to Japan to aid with matching your application to an available Contracting Organization. This is a PDF form that is best viewed with Adobe Acrobat. If you have trouble filling it out electronically, print the form and fill it out by hand.
2. Certificate of Health: All short list candidates must provide a Certificate of Health signed by a medical doctor(including if one was submitted previously if requesting Early Departure). For the chest x-ray, you may elect to have a tuberculosis done instead. Either is acceptable (although the TB test tends to be cheaper and less invasive), but the results and the date must be either written on the form or included on a separate sheet. MAKE SURE EVERY QUESTION IS FILLED OUT, INCLUDING VISION. Double check the entire form before leaving the doctor’s office. Otherwise, you may be required to go to a specialist later on to get the missing information.
3. FBI Background Check application: Please direct the FBI Background Check to be sent to the JET Program office. Please include a photocopy of the application with your reply forms in order that we have proof of your applying for it and know the date when the request was sent. All short list and alternate candidates must request an FBI Background Check, including if previously submitted with the application or soon after. Those are now considered too be too old to be valid and new ones must be provided.
4. IRS 8802 form (ALTs only): The IRS 8802 is used to apply for the IRS 6166, which is a proof of residency certificate. Under the terms of the US-Japan Treaty, ALTs are actually exempt from paying taxes on their JET salaries, but they must provide proof of residence. CIRs and JETs from other countries are not eligible for this tax exemption. Read the directions carefully. DO NOT instruct the IRS to send the 6166 form to the JET Program office. This form has no official capacity in terms of JET, and it is the ALT’s responsibility to provide the original form to their Contracting Organization. Please provide send in a photocopy of the IRS 8802 as proof that you have applied for it.
5. Passport photocopy: Please send if you did not provide one with your application. If you do not have a valid passport at this time, please apply for one now. The passport photocopy should be received no later than early July.
6. Alteration to Reply Form: If any of your current information is different from on your application (including but not limited to: legal name, address, passport number, marital status, email address, etc…), please record it on this form out and submit it. Form can also be sent throughout the summer if any of your information changes from what you put on your Reply Form.
Please read through before filling out forms:
1. Notes: This will give you more insight into the JET Program and filling out the forms.
2. Airport Codes: You do have the option of changing the location for your departure, provided the city you want to transfer to is in the same departure group as Miami (Miami is Group B). Be sure to list the location on your Reply Form and notify your coordinator.
3. JETs with Families: If you are bringing a spouse and/or children, please read through carefully. You will have to provide proof of the dependents through either notarized photocopies of your marriage license (for spouse) or notarized photocopies of your child(ren)’s birth certificates. You will need to provide these to your Contracting Organization as well. You will be responsible for arranging the flight information for your dependents. If you want, you can work with the same travel agent who will be arranging your flight.” –Miami JET Coordinator
Placement – Local or Prefectural
Packing
Tokyo Orientation
